How to use bath towels?
@Masihi (4413)
Canada
December 11, 2010 11:19pm CST
When I was growing up in my foster home, when each of us picked a clean towel, we'd use it for the week, (about 3 showers a week since we were on well water) then throw it in the laundry hamper with our clothes, and our foster mother did the laundry each week.
We visited a family who told us that they used their towels only once and it goes right in the wash. I thought that was a bit much, but well, the lady kept her flat super-spotless clean, lol.
I been washing my towels on after using them for a week until I met my husband, and it got so that we all (me and the kids) would use 2 towels between the four of us over and over again for a whole week.
I know this is an embarrasing question, but I still tend to like to lean on the foster family's routine, use a single bath towel two or three times, then put it in the laundry hamper. What is your "bath towel routiine"? (heh, I don't have the courage to ask this to anyone in real life! 
3 people like this
11 responses
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
12 Dec 10
I too grew up with many foster families and although their routines were quite different then mine today, as I am one who will use a bath towel just once as I can't imagine someone else using especially immediately after I just did and I will explain.
I wash my long hair daily, as it is down my back to my waist, although I have a special snuggy towel for my hair, I still it blot it dry with my bath towel. So when I am done I hang it up to dry but then into the hamper it goes for my washing.
I find it quite easy for me to do as I do my laundry almost every three days, so I suppose it is simply a preference, convenience and routines people use.
2 people like this
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
12 Dec 10
Yes, that's true, that it's a family perosnal preference. We're a pretty clean family, Hubby and I bathe every day, and our kids, I try to get them into the tub 3 times a week, so I guess the towels don't get too dirty, and we hang them up to dry as well, until laundry day (usually Thursdays)
If I had a personal preference, I'd probably do 1 towel per week per person in our family, and it might happen that way as our kids get older and self-concious.
2 people like this
@mtrguanlao (5522)
• Philippines
12 Dec 10
Hello my new friend Masihi!
I guess it's not an embarrasing question,it's alright to ask it.
In our family,each one of us uses our own towel,we are six at home so there are six towels every laundry. After each use,we hang it so it will be dry for our next bath. We bathe everyday since it's hot here in our country. Every saturday we put the towels in the laundry,my niece do the washing so I do not spend money for laundry.
See you around,happy mylotting!
1 person likes this
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
12 Dec 10
hehe, thanks for the reassurance :-p
Ya, I do kind of like the idea of having our own towels, I'll have to implement that right now when the kids are younger.
My husband just got over conjunctivitis in both of his eyes, and his doctor said to not share any towels, and I guess that's what made me think about it all, I guess.
1 person likes this
@mtrguanlao (5522)
• Philippines
12 Dec 10
Oh yes,my friend Masihi,it would be better to have individual bath towels because our doctor told us too about personal hygiene,I had urinary tract infection and he said it's best to have my own towel for personal hygiene and so I did it to all of us,to have our own individual bath towel.
Happy mylotting friend!
1 person likes this
@shaggin (74987)
• United States
12 Dec 10
When I was growing up we always used towels once and then my mother washed them. Us women used a towel for our hair and one for our body. There was 3 women and one man in the household so that was at least 7 towels a day. When I stayed at my exes fathers house where my ex lived at the time they only had one towel to use. It was hanging up and after taking a shower I grabbed it and wiped myself off. I smelled so bad like mildew it was disgusting. I got back in the shower and rewashed myself all up and then just air dried. I rememeber the last time I stayed at a hotel they had a little sign up trying to get people to use the towels a second time. It was cute the sign but I dont reuse towels. Even just with my kids and I we go through a lot of towels a day usually about 4.
@shaggin (74987)
• United States
13 Dec 10
That towel wasent worthy of even being a rag. You'd have to wash it and hope the stench would come out simply to use it as a rag. Even rags have to be clean because if not your just spreading the nastyness around lol. I can understand hotels not wanting to change the bedding every single day. I think that if the sheets look clean then they dont need to be changed except once a week. Staying at a hotel I love the luxury of having clean sheets every day though but if it drives the cost up to rent a room for a night then I'd rather just not have that luxury.
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
12 Dec 10
We normally have one towel each and use it a few times before washing. We hang them up immediately after using some place where they have lots of air circulating through to get them dry. If they start smelling we automatically use another towel. In the summer time due to the humidity we cannot use them as many times because they would become moldy.
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
14 Dec 10
Facecloths are a different story, we never, ever use the same facecloth twice, even in my foster homes, we always use a fresh facecloth
@jaiho2009 (39140)
• Philippines
12 Dec 10
hello Masihi,
Each of the family members,me and my kids have our own towels (individually)
And we changed towels twice a week,so it means,after 3 days we throw our towels in the laundry.
But during summer where we take a bath twice or thrice a day,usually we changed towels every 2 days.
I think that depends on how we used the towel often times before throwing to laundry baskets.
Have a good day always
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
12 Dec 10
That seems reasonable.
In the summertime we only use beach towels the once because of the salt.
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
12 Dec 10
Hello friend, my boyfriend has very sensitive skin and this is why he doesn't use one towel more than 2 times, be is washing all the time, parts of his body or whole shower and i have to change the towels in few days. For my own towels, i take a shower nearly every day so for me it's o.k. if i use one towel 3-5 days in the week. I don't see any problem in that, because after shower, my body is totally clean, my hair too, so i use the towel only when i'm wet. Then i put it on the radiator, so it can dry and it's ready for using again.
I do laundry two times a week, usually. Because my boyfriend is changing his clothes every day, undies and everything. So when something is dirty, i mix everything in the washing machine and the machine is doing her work.
@GardenGerty (169450)
• United States
22 Dec 10
Hand towels, I like to change at least once a day. Face cloths or wash cloths get one use. Bath towels, we each have our own. In the winter I shower about every other day. Our towel bar happens to be over our heating vent so they dry pretty well. I use a big towel on my body and a smaller bath towel for my hair and face. Summer is a different story, they get washed much more often, but I bathe much more often. I will hang laundry outdoors then as well. I guess about three uses is the tops for my bath towels.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
22 Dec 10
We use a new one with every bath we take. We also do have well water & a septic. We've found we have less skin irritations such as eczema and boils by doing this and my OBGYN recommended we do this as well. All I can say is to each their own.
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
13 Dec 10
Growing up the general rule was that we used the same towel for a week and then washed them all. Since I have been married and running my own household, we tend to use the same towel for about 3 days. I think my pattern changed because I do laundry much more often than we did when I was growing up.
@puccagirl (7294)
• Israel
12 Dec 10
I live in a very humid place, so I can't use the towel too many times, it would get way too smelly and moldy if I tried. So I wash mine after each time I use it. I might do it differently if I lived in a place with less humidity though...
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
12 Dec 10
I could never survive in a very humid environment for sure!
I find the bathroom is the most humid room in the house, as well, so I can see why the towels won't be drying at all.
@chelseabelle (197)
• United States
12 Dec 10
I will use a bath towel a few times a week then it's in the wash!
